Hetalia:The Story of the Nations
by christodoulopoulos10
Summary: Since the dawn of time, Man has lived nomadically, However eventually a group will settle and found a civilization, each with it's own unique goals. Hope you enjoy. I do not own Healia.
1. 4000 BC The Fertile Crescent

4000 B.C.

Many tribes wandered the world throughout the early history of humanity. None of them however were able to fully surpass the primal instincts and the nomadic ways of their forefathers. Finally, in the land known as Mesopotamia, the story of the world began with the growth of the first city in the land between the rivers, Eridu…

In the quarries, surrounding the great city, the overseers worked the men in the trenches to get more mud in order for the people to build the city further. Little did the men expect to find an abandoned baby in the midst of the marshes surrounding the trench! It was male and it had the Black eyes and brown hair. When they took it back to the city, the high priests knew what to do with him. They clothed it and were not at all surprised to hear it speak…

"Where am I" it said.

The elder said "You are in the ziggurat of the great city of Eridu, and you shall help it and the surrounding cites achieve greatness!"

"What sort of person am I in order to help this region achieve greatness?"

"You are the personification of the valley of Sumer, foretold in the prophecies of Enki. Your physical body is the land and its people. You shall live until your people die and you will raise them from barbarism to civilization!"

"Am I their ruler" said the newly christened Sumer.

"You will have to listen to your elders and the people who shall rule your land after us."

Sumer looked upon the aged man who had explained all of this to him. The Elder told him that in the future, if other nations became civilized or great, then he would also need to meet them. Later that day, as he gazed across the Mesopotamian plain, he wondered if anyone else like him was out there, and if they would take his advice as the first of a civilized people…


	2. 3500 BC Writing in the land of Kish

3500 B.C

500 years after the birth of civilization in the land of Sumer, a sun rose on the Mesopotamian Plain. In the sun's glow stood Kish, a city in turmoil. On the streets of the city a young boy darted through the streets. As was the custom of the day, his head was shaven and his hooked nose had become more noticeable as he entered his adolescence. This was no ordinary boy, however, this was Sumer.

Sumer hadn't aged that much in the five centuries since his birth. About a century after he was brought to the ziggurat in Eridu he witnessed his people attempt to build a tower towards the heavens which was known as Babel. The project collapsed as suddenly everyone started speaking different languages, and Sumer took to wandering the other cities as Eridu declined following that incident. The project failed because Enki, the patron god, was angry. How could anyone have stayed there after that! He took the human name Enlil of Lagash to disguise himself. Now his wandering had brought him to Kish, where his search for other personifications had so far produced no results and where a crisis was bringing the town to its knees.

In Kish, a crisis had developed and in the valley of Enlil, the God of the Wind, a "Big Man" had been chosen to handle it. What followed afterward was jarring. Sumer decided to ask around as to what had happened.

"You must be new around here" said a man.

"What is going on?" asked the nation

"Enlil has given the big man the power to rule for life"

"Why would the gods do that? Wouldn't you oppose him?"

"He has the army behind him"

Just then, the new despot of the city took Sumer, for being a ruler, he was told of his identity. Not since his days in Eridu had Sumer seen a state as powerful. He decided to stay in Kish. His people had come a long way.

Back in Eridu, someone started putting symbols which had been put on clay contracts onto clay tablets. This sort of art had been named Cuneiform by the locals, and it still continued to change. Sumer found Cuneiform interesting and decided to become a scribe in Kish. Sumer still wished for other companions like himself, and he started to search beyond the Mesopotamian plain for other civilizations, especially in the fertile lands and deserts to the west of his domain…


	3. 3000 BC Realms of the Rivers

3000 B.C.

A young man travelled through the fertile plains of the Levant. He was looking for someone like him, but who exactly was like him. The only name he left behind to innkeepers was Enlil of Lagash, from the land of Sumer.

Since he was on a break from his job as a scribe in Kish, Sumer decided to search further for others like him. His cities had started to war with each other, despite the supremacy of Kish and his body ached from time to time. He finally managed to travel across the peninsula called Sinai, and went into a fertile valley, much like his own home. On the banks of the river, which the locals called the Nile, he saw a little girl.

"What is your name" He asked.

"Egypt" She replied…

Across the world, another being came into existence. The sage Fu Xi, the first sovereign, was looking for tortoises on the Yellow River. While looking, he came across what could have been a four-year old boy.

"Nihao, xio baobao, who are you and what are you doing at this place"

The boy answered "My name is Yao Wang, and I believe that you are my boss"

Fu Xi pondered this and then remembered

"You must be the spirit of China! To believe that the tortoises were correct in saying that one would come to rule All Under Heaven!"

"Where is the city, for I must come with you to rule alongside you?"

"Follow me to Qufu, xio baobao, my wife will make you a silk, yellow coat like that of the Huangdi."

China followed Fu Xi back to his hut in order to begin his life living alongside the Yellow Emperor, who ruled All Under Heaven…

Still another being came into the world. In the city of Mohenjo-Daro, a perfectly identical city compared to its other twin cities on the Indus, a massive bathtub sat in the middle of the city. It had been constructed because of the "complete lack of hygiene in the cities of the barbarians of the West." In the bath, a young girl was bathing along with the people. She had long, dark, hair and green eyes…

India had been born in the jungles and had come to Mohenjo-Daro when she had the appearance of a four year old. She had been staying with the wise men, for they had told her who she was and that they had been waiting for her. She really didn't have a boss and often got lost in the streets of the city. Sometimes she would go for a swim at the ocean downriver. From the sea, she could see the vast mountains that protected her from the outside world. What lay beyond those mountains, she wished to know, but what eventually came from the other side, would bring terror to her and her people…

Egypt had been found in the palace hall when Menes was crowned the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. She had stayed in the palace throughout his reign and was playing by the river when Sumer found her.

"Are you like me?" she asked

"Yes, I have waited a thousand years in order to find another personification like myself."

"Where do you come from?"

"I come from the land between the rivers, Tigris and Euphrates, in the land of Mesopotamia."

"I see, I was raised on the Nile, and my boss just unified my people."

"Could I stay for a few days in order to see your culture?

"Sure, I could use some advice from an older civilization."

So the two spent ample time together for the next two days. On one of those days, Egypt asked what Sumer did in his spare time.

"I am a scribe in Kish and this is what I write."

"Is there a name to this?"

"I call it Cuneiform, why don't I give you lessons?"

"Alright, we shall start tomorrow"

Sumer was ecstatic about his new discovery. He did find though that unlike him, Egypt was creative. She created a new text based on his Cuneiform which she called Hieroglyphs. This annoyed him and so did the fact that she didn't live a thrifty life. Lavishness defined her and he found that someday he needed to correct this path. Nevertheless, when it came time to return to his own land, they parted as if a father to a daughter. She looked out into the plains for his figure, until the barrenness of the Sinai swallowed it…

Sumer was happy about many things when he got back to Kish. He was happy about the fact that he longer needed to shave his head, due to the fact that he appeared twenty years old and that people of the day no longer needed to do so when they reached this age. He had found a companion, Egypt, and what a sweet little girl she was! Not as exciting was the person he had found in the plains between his home and the Sinai. A wild man existed there, fighting everyone who crossed his path, a man named Canaan. Sumer would have to tread carefully if he ever wanted to visit Egypt again. Yet he envied her, her nation was unified, bigger and stronger than him. He wanted to expand too and eventually, a man would come from Uruk, who would make that dream reality.


	4. 2500 BC The Epic of Gilgamesh

2500 B.C.

The Nile was a great river, a long body that provided a gift to all of its inhabitants and desert dwellers from beyond the black lands in the waste known as the red lands. Four dynasties had gone by in the kingdom of Egypt, and one of the rulers of those dynasties, Khufu, had begun a project for his grave. It was based off of the work of the scribe Imhotep and as it rose into the sky, a young woman watched as it grew. She was close to the pharaoh and a daughter of a Sumerian who worked as a scribe in Kish…

Egypt had sprouted into a teenage girl, and had witnessed the many attempts of her bosses to preserve themselves for the afterlife. This, however, was the grandest yet. Khufu had ordered for it to be over 128 meters tall and 200 meters wide. It contained more than a thousand stones, taken from Luxor. It was covered with marble and alabaster, and the top was crowned with a pyramid of gold. Now, she was present at Khufu's funeral, and all in the capital of Ineb-Hedj had been forced to come. He was unpopular, and she personally hated her bosses for his delusions of grandeur. Nevertheless, when Sumer visited Egypt again a generation later, she could not resist boasting of the Pyramid. He however, had something else to say, something about a man from the city of Uruk who had overthrown the rule of Kish and had almost unified the land of Sumer…

Yao Wang was in Qufu and he was at the coronation of the Huangdi, one of the first kings of China. He had come from the Hsia family, and he was glad that China was finally unified under his rule. China had grown into his adolescence and had cut himself a ponytail which he decided that he would keep. China still wondered about the outside world, but he again reminded himself that he ruled with one who controlled All Under Heaven, and one who continually faced South, the sacred direction…

"So where is he?" an impatient Egypt had asked. After showing him the Sphinx and the pyramid of the Pharaoh Khafra, Sumer had convinced her to come to Uruk. (Sumer had always visited Egypt before, usually once a century, the length between visits a result of Canaan who was becoming a bit more civilized). They had been allowed passage by Canaan and Sumer was dying to show Egypt his boss, Gilgamesh. When they came to the throne room, Sumer instructed Egypt on what to do.

"Bow before him as he does not know you."

"Why should I bow before anyone?"

"He is one-third man and two-thirds god."

"Wait, wouldn't that imply that he had three parents? You should really improve on your math Sumer."

"He has proven it by defeating Enlil's chosen, the king of Kish!" Sumer said, deciding to ignore Egypt's comment "He has also unified my home."

"I bet he couldn't beat my pharaohs who are Ra's chosen."

"Quiet, we are in the throne room."

When they entered, they saw a man who had his hair set like Sumer's, except it had curls of gold. Beside him was the priestess of Ishtar, who commanded fertility, and next to her the messenger from Kish, who had brought tribute. On his right was a wild man with his hair unkempt. The king of Uruk and the ruler of Mesopotamia spoke:

"Sumer, welcome home, I see that you have returned from your wanderings in the West and that you have brought back someone."

"Greetings, Master Gilgamesh, I have brought someone like myself, she is the personification of the land of Egypt, which exists to the west of Canaan."

Enkidu spoke: "May I do as I please with her, Gilgamesh, my friend."

The comment pronounced rage from the enthroned sovereign.

"No, Enkidu, we must treat our guests with respect! I do not wish war with the pharaoh and you must control yourself, as you are no longer a wild man!"

Egypt had found that in situations like this, it was best to keep quiet and to let others do the talking. Come to think of it, she never really talked with anyone, except her bosses and Sumer. Sumer's boss then spoke again.

"My dear, I apologize for my friend's rudeness, you may stay in this land for as long as you like."

Egypt spent the rest of the day admiring Sumer's culture and after she went to bed she couldn't help but feel guilty as she hadn't properly paid Sumer back. He was like a father to her and she still hadn't visited him as often. These thoughts and others circulated in her head as she fell asleep

Sumer stayed up longer to talk with his boss. Egypt had done well in meeting him, and although she had questioned Sumerian thriftiness compared to her own lavish life style, they had made it through the day without too many arguments. He asked his boss…

"Should I put this in your epic sir?"

"No Sumer" the king replied "Not everything has to be recorded"

"Is something bothering you sir?"

"It's Enkidu, he's gotten into a fight and now he is dying."

"I see, do you want me to send Egypt home before his death?"

"Yes, I think that would be best."

Shortly after Egypt left, Enkidu died. Shortly afterward, after many adventures, Gilgamesh also died. A great pit was dug for him, and a massive casket entered the burial pit. His body had been preserved, yet Sumer recalled that Egypt's people embalmed their pharaohs and nobles in a process known as mummification, which was a better form of preservation then what he had. Thinking of Egypt also brought out his jealously for her again. As he watched the servants drink from the cup of poison and then walk into the pit to serve his boss in the afterlife, he wanted to know whether his people would rise above their differences and not only unify and expand. As the fatherly nation, he should be more powerful, right? The answer to Sumer's question would come, not from Uruk or Kish or even Eridu, but from a town not even in Sumeria, a town named Agade…


	5. 2500 BC Sargon of Agade

2300 B.C.

Kish was once again the most powerful of the Sumerian city-states. "Big Man" Lugal-zage-si had conquered the city after the previous ruler had weakened it. He watched as the country of Sumer continued to grow, as did its personification…

Sumer had returned to being a scribe in Kish, he had spent most of his time in the city. Most of that time was spent writing and changing the Cuneiform. One day, Canaan, who was becoming increasingly civilized came over to Sumer's house and showed him a text which the People to the West of his homeland called Alphabet. Sumer initially dismissed Canaan, but decided to implement the basic theory. After years of working on it, he reduced the hundreds of symbols to only 90. The shortening of the script took place in Agade, where the people had begun to speak differently. Sumer shortly returned to Kish, where events their transformed his home…

When he returned to Kish, the local governer was dead. After rushing to the palace, he discovered the murderer.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I…" said the man who commanded a figure and a power that Sumer had not seen since the days of Gilgamesh "… am Sargon of Agade. You must be Enlil of Lagash, the land of Sumer. I have great plans for you."

As to what those plans were, Sumer longed to find out. If this man contained the ambition of Gilgamesh, then Sumer would likely become powerful again, a status which he craved immensely.

"Big Man" Lugal-zage-si had fled back to Umma, where the curses laid by the ones he had conquered turned against him. He encountered Sargon at Uruk, where Sumer's people foolishly resisted Sargon at Uruk. Sumer's new boss, at victory, chained Lugal-zage-si and his people like dogs and washed his sword into the sea as he had unified Sumer. The actual Sumer was confident, he hadn't felt this good in years, yet he worried that this was all Sargon could do.

"Is this all you intend to accomplish my lord?" Sumer asked tentatively

"No, I hear that you have come into contact with those in the West"

Sumer was terrified! Was this man going to conquer Egypt, and even Canaan, both of whom he had practically raised?

"I wish to conquer the lands that lie at the source of the Tigris and the Euphrates, and the coastal towns to the West, and the lands of the East."

Sumer was relieved, He hadn't even heard of peoples in those areas. "Canaan might be bothered by the taking of those coastal cities though" he thought. Also in question was the lands of the East, they were known as Elam, and they were barren hills, so he couldn't understand why his boss would want anything to do with those territories. "Well, I guess it will be an adventure to find out."

Over the years, Sargon warred in the West, wishing to take the coastal cities and to subjugate the Fertile Crescent. During this time, Sumer realized that the cuneiform that he invented in Agade was an entirely different language! The new language was called Akkadian because that was the name of Agade in Akkadian. Sumer dismissed the fact that his culture was being diluted, and continued to speak in Sumerian and Akkadian as if there was no difference. One day though, when Sargon came home from conquest to proclaim the founding of a new city, Sumer realized that he wasn't the only one who existed in Mesopotamia.

The new city was to be called Bābili in Akkadian. Sumer walked through the new city as its construction continued. As he walked through it, he saw a small child which looked much like him when he was young, except for the fact that his eyes, skin, and hair were lighter than his. He approached the child ad said.

"Are you Bābili?"

"I am" said the boy "but you may call me the servant of Marduk"

"I am Sumer, and I wish to guide you through life as we are both part of the Akkadian empire"

"Lead me Sumer, and I shall follow your example as long as it agrees with the morals of Marduk."

Babylon preferred to speak in Akkadian, and did not want to learn the old Cuneiform or Sumerian, yet Sumer still treated him as a son. One day, Sumer asked Sargon if he and Bābili could go and visit Egypt, a visit which Sargon granted yet he gave Sumer a warning.

"I hear that the pharaoh is losing control of his country, I suggest that you tread carefully."

Nonetheless, Sumer and Babylon set out on a western journey to visit Egypt and Canaan…

Canaan had civilized himself ever since he first met Sumer, he now considered the man his uncle even though he and Egypt did not get along that much. However, when Sumer came with another boy when he visited next, Canaan could not help but wonder what this boy was.

"Who is this son of yours Sumer?"

"This is Babylon, say hello to your uncle, Babylon."

"This is my uncle, how could this wild man be my uncle?"

Canaan had to contain himself to prevent the murder of that brat then and there. Sumer disciplined Babylon and when they left, Canaan had two worries on his mind. Sumer spoke an entirely different language and his culture was becoming diluted. Second, if that brat was to succeed Sumer, especially with the massive nation the Sumer had, then everyone could potentially be in trouble, including himself...

Egypt felt herself declining. Khafra's family had died off and the new fifth dynasty was handling the country poorly. She hadn't grown much but was becoming increasingly sad and irritable. Her heart rejoiced when Sumer came, she had heard about Sargon of Akkad and how he had built the first empire and she wanted Sumer to tell her about these stories. Little did she expect the little boy that came with him, who was he?

"Hello, you must be my Auntie Egypt, I am Bābili, and I am the servant of Marduk."

"Why thank you." She said "When we are around the people though, you must refer to me at Aunt Nefertiti." This boy spoke the language of the Akkadians, Interesting.

Then she turned to Sumer. "How are you doing father"

"I am doing very well daughter."

This statement surprised Egypt out of her wits! Sumer was speaking in the same language that Bābili was! If he continued like this, then he might cease to be Sumer and disappear altogether! She calmed herself quickly though.

"Come with me, my lodgings may be short due to my decline, but you are always welcome here."

She spoke to Sumer later that night. "Father, I know that the Akkadians have built an empire, but don't forget, you are Sumer, so I wish that you would speak Sumerian from time to time." Her words must have reached him, because when Sumer left the next day, he said

"Today we leave for Agade" in his language.

"Don't forget who you are father." thought Egypt, "Don't leave me alone in this world."

Sumer got back home with stuff on his mind. Egypt had fallen into decline and he commented on this by saying. "Egypt, if you didn't live life so lavishly then maybe you wouldn't have run out of money."

"Well, my government has mismanaged my country recently."

She had refused to believe him and now he was here, worrying as much about her decline as she was about his new knowledge of Akkadian. As soon as he dropped Babylon off at his home, he went to Umma, where Sargon was preparing an invasion of Elam. He encountered his boss with the words. "I do not see why you wish for these lands in the East"

"For the sake of empire and the elimination of threats to your lands Sumer." said Sargon of Akkad. "Do you wish to embark on this campaign?"

"Come to think of it, I would very much like to." said the nation.

So Sargon of Agade set out towards Elam with Sumer in tow. Both thought that the land was uncivilized. Little did they know was that a city existed, a city named Çūšā and in it existed a man potentially more wild then Canaan…

When the Sumerian/Akkadian army struck into the desert, they found an empire ruled by Luhi-ishan. Sargon met the king in battle at Çūšā and that was where Sumer met Elam. Elam was much like Babylon but with darker skin and tribal nature.

"Curse you Sumer for subjugating my lands!" The child hissed after the fall of Çūšā.

"It was inevitable that you would have attacked me, so I acted first."

"Well, for striking first blood against my people, I will hunt you to the ends of the Earth and kill you when you have slowed." The child said haughtily.

"We shall see about that." The older nation tortured him for the rest of the day. When Sume went into the cell where they had been keeping him the next day, he found that the child had fled to Anšan. Elam's vow would always exist in the back of Sumer's mind however, haunting him for the rest of his days…

Sumer had the appearance of a fifty-year old man, but he felt like one in his prime. He was experiencing a golden age and felt that his power would last at least beyond the death of Sargon. Sargon of Akkad did pass, and when he did, chaos reigned. His sons fell in swift order, until order was restored by Naram-Sin. After his death though, the Akkadian empire collapsed completely. Sumer realized that he had been foolish in attempting to grow into an empire. He noticed that he spoke less Akkadian and that he was starting to age. "Well, I guess that it was going to happen sometime." He thought. Elam, who had been given a scar across the front by him, was vengeful and the curse of Elam continued to haunt Sumer. Sumer was also beginning to age, despite the fact that Ur built another powerful kingdom over the ruins of Agade and attempted to remake its empire. Sumer decided that he would no longer fight, and that he would simply work as a scribe in Ur. He also cared for Babylon, who had a younger brother recently spawn. This boy's name was Aššūrāyu and he had a wilder personality hen Babylon and was less obedient to Sumer. Sumer often visited the brothers and cared for hem often in his old age. The one thing that was always on Sumer's mind however, was the vow of revenge that Elam had made against him during the days of Sargon. The vow to chase him to the ends of the Earth, and to kill him when he slowed with age…


	6. 2000 BC Lament for Ur

2000 B.C.

The world had gone through 2000 years of civilization. Each of them had advanced to the point where one of them produced the first empire. Now order had been replaced by chaos, and Mesopotamia convulsed with revolt. Yet the East kept its riches.

Yao Wang was in paradise. The Xia kings of China had ruled it well, and he enjoyed the silk which flowed from the great cities. As China, he had witnessed many of his kings do various things with their reign. He had witnessed executions in the marketplace and performances at the pavilions. His life couldn't get any better, as he lived at the top of what was All Under Heaven…

In India, the culture of the Harrapas had disappeared, and although the cities still existed, they were no longer unified. A new religion had arisen in India, a religion of India, Hinduism. India herself had grown into a teenage girl and was now in the Mandir in Pāṭaliputra, listening to the Brahmins spin tales of Vishnu and Krishna. She knew that she would never go through reincarnation, and yet this intrigued her. If a religion like Hinduism could bring peace and unity to her people, then she wanted as many of them as possible! Her wish would be granted later, when one man who others called the "Awakened One" walked the streets of Pāṭaliputra …

Mesopotamia, although diverse, had maintained its Sumerian heritage. An old man lived in Ur, where he continued to write the Cuneiform that had intrigued him all those years ago. He was Sumer, and since the days of Sargon, he had aged significantly. Although he denied it, it was due to his declining strength and his knowledge of Akkadian that had diversified his lands and had ultimately weakened him. He still received visits from his sons, who lived in Babylonia and Assyria. Egypt recovered from the Intermediate Period and was advancing under the Middle Kingdom and she visited him often. He also liked to see his nephew Canaan from time to time. In his old age though, Sumer came to fear only one man. He was a wild man who, in the foolishness of Sumer's youth, had been attacked by Sargon's armies, and now that man was close to completing his curse which stated that he would hunt Sumer to the ends of the Earth, and kill him when he slowed…

Sumer still controlled a massive empire from Ur. Lately, however, his king Ibbi-Sin had his hands full. A new people were starting to migrate into Mesopotamia, a people who Sumer called the Martu. They surrounded his towns and raided them frequently. With each raid, he felt his strength disappearing. His previous bosses had battled Elam multiple times and had subjugated him, yet Sumer never dared to meet the nomad in combat, fearing the curse.

As he weakened, Sumer gathered his sons together, needing to tell them what to do with their people before he disappeared. He knew that Babylon would understand, yet little Assyria was a rambunctious child and would not remember anything. When they both came to Ur, he brought them to his table and said:

"I do not have much time left in this world. The Martu have surrounded my cities and the prices of grain are multiplying rapidly. My people are starving and I fear that Elam will come and kill me as I have slowed with age. Babylon, I trust you to care for Assyria when I have gone. If there is anything that you must do, it is to not build empires like that of Agade. Sargon's conquests aged me and now I will eventually disappear, don't let the same happen to you. Give this advice to others who come your way, as I do not wish for anyone to follow me where I am going. Be good to each other as I have been good to you. Farewell."

Shortly after Babylon and Assyria left for their respective towns. Sumer's boss came back with a battered army that had been chased back from Elam. He begged the Martu for help against the Elamites, but they refused. The siege began, and the Elamites overwhelmed the Vultures which had conquered them years before. They set fire to the Ebubas which had stored the remaining grain, and it was then that Elam encountered Sumer outside the Ziggurat of Nanna.

"This is where it ends, Sumer. Now I take revenge for the sufferings of my people at the hands of Sargon."

Sumer fought as best he could in his old Vulture armor, but Elam overpowered him and he lay on the ground with a fatal wound situated in his chest. As he lay there, mangled by the bronze spear, he thought about how he had influenced all of those around him, where he was going to, and who would follow him after his death. Before he faded he thought that he could hear someone atop the burning ziggurat lamenting…

"Ninlil has abandoned that house, the Ki-ur, and has let the breezes haunt her sheepfold. The queen of Kesh has abandoned it and has let the breezes haunt her sheepfold. Ninmah has abandoned that house Kesh and has let the breezes haunt her sheepfold."

Elam stepped atop the Ziggurat of Nanna and permanently silenced the priests who mourned Sumer's passing, glancing around him and down at the broken city that his men were dismantling, a look of triumph spread across the nomads face.

"Land of Elam, which is my home, I have avenged the deeds of Sargon and I have burned his cities to ash!"

This cry of triumph was heard in Palestine and in Egypt. Canaan sat on his cot and faintly heard Elam's damning epitaph. He silently thought to himself, "Sumer is gone, and if he is then I am in danger, his children will grow up and expand and Elam and his Martu might even come here. Egypt and I never got along well, and she will surely attempt to take me if Sumer is truly gone. Overall, I am not sure how long I have to live at this moment." Contemplating this, Canaan looked out the window as he watched his people go out and fish for the shells that supplied the royal dyes. Yet the one thing he least expected was that he would have a brother after all of this trouble…

Egypt was in the Pharaoh's chamber when she received the news.

"Ur has fallen!" screamed the messenger, "The Elamites have sacked the cities of the Sumerians and has scattered the ashes of their peoples."

The pharaoh turned to his country. "Do you need some time alone my dear for the loss that you have suffered?"

"Yes, that would be much appreciated my god." She answered. After her boss left the room, she wailed out into the streets of Ineb-Hedj, the capital of the Middle Kingdom that had been established since Sumer and Babylon's last visit. After the shock had worn off, she remembered all the time that they had spent together and how he had set her on the correct path. When Babylon showed up, she feared that at his death she would feel a sense of loneliness. Instead, she felt a sense of opportunity. She had grown into a mature young woman, and now she was ready to expand beyond her limits. She had never gotten along well with Canaan, and when the next pharaoh came, she hoped that she could take the fight to that barbarian of the coast in the near future…


	7. 1750 BC The Boy on Canaan's Right Side

1750 B.C.

Sumer had fallen; Mesopotamia was in turmoil as the Elamites sacked the cities of the "big men". Yet Sumer's sons still existed, Babylon and Assyria rose to take his place, Canaan found new family in Sumer's ashes, China faced his first dynastic change, and Egypt struggled to find her new place in the world…

Canaan woke up to tend the fields, famine had gripped his people and he worked effortlessly to take food from the harsh ground. Today though, he was especially miserable because he had to bid farewell to someone especially close to him. That little boy was his brother…

He thought back to that day, the day when he was still writing to that brat Babylon, who had taken over things after Sumer's death. One of those days, Babylon sent him a letter whose contents followed this train of thought;

"To my barbarous uncle, the Baal of Canaan, I have some news for you that you may take in your interest. A family has left the city of Ur in an unusual fashion, they took a sheep and tore it down the middle and then scattered the pieces on either side of the road. The Patriarch of the family, who goes by the name of Abram, then led the rest of his family, including his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, towards your domain in Canaan. Please take care of this new family, for I feel that they are descended of the Martu. Yet despite their heritage, I feel many great things will come of them."

Canaan had no idea on how to receive this news but he decided to greet Abram anyway. He met the man at Shechem and while he was greeting these new citizens of his region, he noticed that they had come because Abram had been promised by his god, Jehovah, that he "would be the father of many nations." After he had finished speaking, Abram built an alter to his god out of respect for their covenant. Abram then went south to the desert that was called the Negeb and he heard that his family was travelling to Egypt in order to escape the famine that was going on in his country. "Well," he thought, "at least they left quietly; the priests were starting to get a bit disturbed about this whole business with Jehovah, now he can be Egypt's problem." Yet something bothered Canaan, there was a strange presence amongst Abram's people, could it be a new nation? "No, it couldn't be…" Canaan assured himself. "It just couldn't be…"

Egypt was surprised to hear of the new visitors who had crossed the Sinai. The tribe was led by a man named Abram, and her pharaoh received him and his sister Sarah well. Egypt however, started to question the importance of Abram's company. There was a strange presence amongst them, like that of a new nation. Later on, after her pharaoh became a little too friendly towards Sarah, Egypt felt a series of terrors and plagues grip her nation. She begged her pharaoh;

"Please tell these Semites to leave, I felt terrible ever since they came here and I feel that they are hiding something from us! Their god has cursed our nation because we have done something terrible to them and now we are paying the price for it!"

Shortly afterward, the pharaoh became sick with the plague as well and when he demanded Abram of what had been done to him, Abram replied that Sarai was not his sister but in fact his wife! They were ordered to leave the country immediately, although Sarai was allowed to keep her servant Hager, who was one of Egypt's people.

Canaan welcomed Abram back from Egypt, but things from that point had gone down severely, Elam had returned to glory in his dominance after he had killed Sumer. Canaan remembered with loathing the words that Elam had spoken:

"The great vulture of Sumer is dead, and because I was the one to shoot him out of the skies, I can now demand tribute from you and those despicable brats of his."

After the King of Sədom lost to Elam, Canaan was forced to pay tribute to him. Abram returned from Egypt shortly after that and informed Canaan that his nephew Lot had taken his family to Sədom in order for them to grow independently. Abram also secretly dispelled news which he had only meant for Canaan's ears. "I discovered a bundle on my way back from Egypt." began the old man, "When I looked inside of it, I discovered a baby. When I asked the members of my family, they denied relation to the child. When I asked Jehovah for guidance, he told me that his flesh was that of the nations and that I must entrust him in your care. He must also spend some time with his nation as well, and when he is old enough, he must come to live with us. Take care of the child, and when the time comes, he will reunite with his people to lead Jehovah's nation."

With this, Abram departed along with Hager and his wife Sarai. Still holding the infant nation in his arms, Canaan was unsure as to what to do. The Baal of Sədom and Amora would have wanted to kill the child, and yet, despite his background, Canaan knew that Abram had entrusted him with his new nation. "From this point on," Canaan declared to the youth "I shall raise you as my little brother. I shall give you the name Benjamin as you will be at my right side for as long as I live!" Canaan held the child up and praised Baal and Jehovah, for they had delivered him a brother after the death of his uncle, Enlil of Lagash…

Across the world, a totally different drama was unfolding; Yao Wang's Hsia paradise had unraveled. The Hsia armies were defeated by duke Tāng in a battle and soon afterward, the capital fell. At first, China was shocked by this aggressive development, but then thought to himself "Duke Jié had grown cruel and impious. He lost the support of the army and the people, and now he is dead because of this. I shall now follow Tāng, as he now rules All Under Heaven" China looked out over Yin, the new capital, and thought how, despite having the appearance of a 15-year old boy, he possessed the wisdom of the Ancient Sages such as Fu Xi, who had found him by the Yellow River all those years past…

Years passed in Canaan, after the rise of the Shang dynasty in China. In that time Canaan had raised the young Benjamin as his own, and took him on visits to see Abram. One day, Benjamin said to Canaan "Big Brother is it okay if I go into my Boss's house alone this time."

"You may, as you have grown into an energetic young nation" responded Canaan. Although Benjamin referred to Canaan as his brother, Canaan resembled a middle aged man, while Benjamin was a boy of four. Canaan conversed with Hager and Abram's son Ishmael as he waited for Benjamin. In that time he noticed what he thought were three men in the distance. At first he thought it was a mirage, it seemed so as they appeared to fly across the Negev. The strangers walked up to him and said "Is this the tent of Abram, the one that will father many nations? We are travelers who have come a long way to see him." Canaan responded to the travelers with…

"The one you seek is inside of this tent; he is with his wife and with a child that has been placed under my care."

"Many thanks to the Baal of Canaan, who has provided us with the knowledge that we seek." This response wasn't received well by Canaan, who jolted up out of his seat. "How could you strangers know who I am? Are you messengers from Baal!" Canaan exclaimed. The men ignored him and went inside the tent. Two more hours passed, after which the young Benjamin bolted from the tent shouting: 

"Canaan, Canaan, Jehovah's angels have come down and dined with me and my boss' family, you should have been there to see it!" Canaan looked up at Abram as he and Sarai exited from the tent and he questioned,

"Is this true?"

"Very much so, Jehovah has fulfilled our covenant and has delivered upon me a son. I shall henceforth be known as Abraham, my wife to be known as Sarah and the child shall be called Isaac."

"I am going to have a little brother, isn't it so exciting Canaan!" Benjamin exclaimed.

"Yes," said Canaan, "you will have a little brother."

Shortly after Isaac's birth, Hager and Ishmael fled to Egypt due to Sarah's malice, yet as the years passed Isaac and Benjamin became great friends. This was so as they were both teenagers (sort of), but this caused trouble as they both became rebellious youth, much to the dismay of Abraham and Canaan. Canaan approached Abraham one day and said:

"This has got to stop! Benjamin and Isaac have not answered to your god's prayers, they are constantly causing trouble, and by Baal if we don't do something then your nation will fall apart!"

"Yes," said Abraham, "we must do something about it. Let me handle the boy."

Abraham took Isaac to the land of Moriah and didn't come back for a long time. Meanwhile, Benjamin was becoming increasingly anxious and when Canaan asked him about it, Benjamin said "The Lord is going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their sins, please go save Lot." So Canaan left for Sodom, where he saw Lot being smuggled out of the city. He waited for them on the pass overlooking the valley, and what he saw chilled him to the bone. Both cities suffered a rain of fire and an earthquake of brimstone.

"By Baal, there is no greater power then this!" Exclaimed Canaan. As the screams rose from the valley he looked down and saw Lot and his family running up the mountain to safety. He motioned for them to use the pass and as they came up and crossed over, Lot's wife looked back upon the destruction, and was no more. Seeing this Canaan urged "There isn't much time! Hurry from here and don't scar your soul with the memory of this hell!" Lot fled, and Canaan shivered, "So this is what it does to humans." Looking at what had been Lot's wife and what was now a pillar of Salt. "It petrifies those who witness, and yet as a nation I haven't seen any judgment" Canaan couldn't stop watching the devastation beneath him as it spread to the two surrounding cities, the two surrounding Canaanite cities.

Pain gripped Canaan's insides and he screamed into the night as he added his voice to the thousands of dead and dying within Sodom and Gomorrah. As his insides burned and before he felt the blackness clog his senses he heard an almighty voice, one he knew that must have addressed Abraham and Benjamin roaring with anger at him. The voice said "Sodom and Gomorrah fall to ash because of the sins of your people, you worshipper of Baal! In addition to this sin you have witnessed their end, an offense worthy of hell! Yet I have delivered upon to thee the care of my people Israel and because of this I will let your nation survive. But a cursed life you will live, for the very child that you raise will be the end of your existence!" Canaan barely had time to contemplate this before the blackness overwhelmed him.

The next morning, Canaan woke and then saw a Sea of Death in the former area of his two cities and Sodom and Gomorrah. Only distant Zoer had survived. Canaan took off his cloak to see if there was any damage to his body. His chest was now a discolored area of skin, and there was a long scar running diagonally from his scar that ran from his right shoulder to his appendix. After taking one last look at the Dead Sea, and at the pillar that served as a testimony to Lot's wife, Canaan left that area and never returned again.

Years passed, Abraham and Isaac returned from their time in the desert, Abraham passed and Isaac married. Isaac and Rebekah produced two sons, Esav and Yaʿakov. Jacob later left for Haran after a dispute with Esau considering Esau's birthright. Canaan meanwhile, had escaped from the Sea of Death that now covered Sodom and Gomorrah, and Benjamin had grown into a spirited young man. Disagreements arose between them a bit more frequently now especially now that Benjamin was old enough to live with Isaac, He even hated Canaan for being an idolater! They still got along despite their differences and Esau came to visit Canaan when the pair feuded but things weren't as good as when they were before. One day, when Jacob returned from Haran with his family, and when Esau received him with forgiveness, Benjamin came to Canaan that night and said "אח, There is something that I must tell you." Canaan noticed that Benjamin was starting to speak the language of his people, an important step to becoming a nation. Benjamin continued "When Jacob was coming home he met an Angel of יהוה who fought with him until the breaking dawn. Afterwards, the angel christened him and the nation he was going to lead Yisrā'el, or one who fights with Jehovah." Canaan realized now what Benjamin… or should he say Israel was trying to tell him.

"I have raised you well and now that you have become a nation with a name you can leave my care, but be assured Benjamin that you will always be at my right side." Canaan said affectionately.

"Thank you Brother" The young nation replied as he bowed his head before his caretaker. Canaan had come to care for Israel very much, but he had to let the young man go. When Yosef, one of Jacob's children became a governor in Egypt, and based on dreams sent to him from the Lord, he invited his whole family to come to Egypt so that they could stay with him as a result of the famine that was happening in Canaan. Israel came to Canaan when he heard this and told him "Joseph has asked me and the rest of my tribe to go with him to Egypt where we can live in the district of Gershon. I came to say that I would rather stay with you and suffer through this famine, but as nations, you and I cannot go against the will of our people."

"You are correct with that Benjamin," Canaan replied "I would rather have you stay in the vicinity of Palestine. But if you must go to Egypt, then I will send you over into Nefertiti's arms. You provided life to me when the Vulture that was Sumer was finally slain, and now I wish you the prospect of a happy life."

"I will return one day and we will live together side by side once more." Israel said this and then left for the Egyptian kingdom across the Sinai. Now, Canaan tilled the stubborn fields, always thinking of the boy named Benjamin, the boy who would always and forever be at his right side. Benjamin's departure wasn't Canaan's largest concern in the coming days however, a people would come from the wild lands of the Scythian North, and they would lead him and his fellow nations in misery.

Egypt looked across the Nile, standing beside the great Pharaoh and his vizier, Joseph, the King of Dreams. He had prevented the famine which was now ravaging Canaan, and now the Pharaoh held him in the highest regard. When Joseph invited his brothers to come live with him in Egypt, she was excited to meet the young boy that Canaan claimed as his little brother. When Jacob and his family arrived, the young man came with.

"ברכות דודה מצרים, I am called Israel" he said. Observing him, Egypt noticed that Israel looked exactly like a younger version of Canaan, except for the fact that his brown eyes contrasted with Canaan's brown ones. He also had very soft hair and he let it hang all around him instead of braiding it up in the same way that Sumer and Canaan had done. He was a handsome young man, and he spoke in his own tongue.

"What is this language of yours with which you speak?" Egypt asked.

"Ah, I forgot that you didn't understand. The language is called Hebrew, if it pleases you, I will speak in the Egyptian tongue, as my older brother taught me some of it before I came here."

"Yes, that would be alright. From now on though, when around humans, we must refer to ourselves by our human names. From now on, you can simply call me your Aunt Nefertiti. I suppose Canaan also named you, so you are…?"

"Benjamin" the Hebrew man replied, "and I am very pleased to make your acquaintance."

At that point the Pharaoh came and invited Israel to his country by giving him a tour. He thanked him for the work that Joseph had put in in order to save Egypt, and after showing him the sights of Ineb-Hedj, such as the Great Sphinx, and the Great Pyramid, he pointed the way to the district of Gershon. As she watched him go, Egypt couldn't help but look forward to the time that she would spend with Canaan's son.

But the good times didn't last, a generation after Israel came, barbarians also came from the North. They toppled Egypt's Middle Kingdom and established themselves as the heqa khasewet, of Egypt. She hated them, the milky skinned foreigners that had robbed her of her power. Then she realized that the reason that they had their power was because of the weapons they wielded. She went to Ahmose of Newt-rst and suggested:

"In order to defeat the heqa khasewet, we need to master their art of the chariot"

Taking this to heart, Ahmose declared himself Egypt's new boss, and launched a campaign which drove the heqa khasewet from Egypt. He even managed to do something which Egypt had been longing to do since Sumer's death. He conquered Canaan and made him a part of her house. He wasn't happy to see her, and the feeling from her side was mutual. While she was there, however, something clawed at her mind. The heqa khasewet were of the same race as the Hebrews which lived in Gershon. Rage took hold of her as she realized that Israel must have invited them to rule her as their slave. How could that brat do that, after all that she had done for him! "This will be resolved, in the most inhumane way possible, but Canaan mustn't know" thought Egypt as she made her way to Gershon.

Israel had been living a life of prosperity in Gershon, the 12 tribes which had spawned from the loins of Jacob's sons. He felt proud of this new territory which had been settled in Egypt's house. He had felt sorry for her the heqa khasewet came and robbed her of her independence, but he really couldn't do anything about it. Then the day came that changed his life forever. It was a clear day, and he suddenly saw a chariot in the distance. "Must be the governor coming to collect the tax." He thought.

Taxes had gone up since the Egyptian conquests had begun and although Joseph was the vizier of Egypt at one time and had helped the country in such a way that they had buried him in their style. But now, no Hebrews were represented, which suited them just fine as long as they kept their citizenship. He rode out to meet the incoming governor. When he came to the chariot, he saw that his Aunt Nefertiti and Ahmose himself had come to meet him…and behind them was an army. "Aunt," the boy questioned, for he had the appearance of a 15-year old boy. "Why do you bring the armies which have driven the heqa khasewet from your territory to my home in Gershon just to collect a simple tax?"

Then came the moment which would change the young Israel's life forever, Egypt turned to face him, and he noticed for the first time that pure rage was emanating from her face. She spoke in a controlled, emotionless voice to the servant right beside the chariot: "Have this boy whipped."

Israel could process what he had just heard before he had been tied to a makeshift post, given 25 lashes with the hippopotamus whip, and put in chains before the Pharaoh. "What have I done to deserve this, Aunt Nefertiti?" The boy whimpered through his shock, anger, pain and tears.

"You have simply become too big." She said with the same voice as before, "You thought that you could sell be to your brothers the heqa khasewet and get off scot-free. Now…" she paused, as if she wanted to relish that moment. "…now, you shall be punished."

"How could you possibly believe that I have betrayed you? Ever since the time of Joseph I have served you faithfully. Since the heqa khasewet came here, I have tried in every possible way to stay on your side and now you have me whipped?"

"SILENCE!" Egypt roared. "You invited them here! YOU BETRAYED ME!" She then regained control of herself and then stated in a voice as venomous as the snakes that inhabited the Red Land beyond Egypt. "From this day forward, you are no longer my nephew, because Benjamin would never do this to me. From this day forward, your nation will consist of the slaves that toil in this land." They went on to Gershon, where Israel's horrified people watched as Ahmose gave the scribe the news that he would herald.

"By decree of the Living God, our glorious Pharaoh Ahmose, the conqueror of Canaan, The tribes of Israel, which have been living in the district of Gershon for the last two centuries are convicted of Treason against the realm of Egypt. The punishment will be and an eternal sentence of slavery of the Hebrew race, in service of the Land of Egypt."

So began the four centuries of Hebrew slavery in Egypt…


End file.
